Magic and Second Chances
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: When the curse is broken, Emma finds someone in the fairy tale world she thought she had lost for good in the real world. Emma/Graham. Spoilers for "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Once Upon A Time and never will. No copyright infringement intended**.**

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><p>Emma Swan and Henry Mills stared in awe at the castle in front of them. "You like it?" Charming hoped they did – They were going to live there after all, and he didn't want his daughter and grandson to hate it.<p>

"I love it! I can't wait to explore!" Henry skipped ahead, ignoring the warning Emma gave him about not wandering away too far.

"Excuse me. Let me go find my wayward son and then I can't wait to explore the castle." Emma took off after her twelve year old son.

"I've missed this so much."

"As have I." Charming beamed at his wife, grabbed her hand, and the two took off running. They bolted into the castle and then rushed as fast as they could for their bedroom – They had a lot of time to make up for.

When Emma and Henry returned, Snow and Charming were nowhere in sight. "What are they doing?" Henry had an inkling, but he wasn't about to say that to his mother.

"Probably just exploring, kid." Emma really wasn't about to tell her son the truth because she didn't want to think of anything her parents could possibly be doing. It freaked her out too much – They still hadn't gotten used to the fact that they were basically the same age because of the curse.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Why don't you find your room and move in?" Emma wished she had a room, but apparently it was still a nursery – One that was probably going to be used by her parents in the future. (Although Emma didn't know for sure yet, the nursery was definitely going to be used by Snow and Charming again – four more times in fact.)

"Okay. I'll see you later!"

"Don't go outside with me, Henry!"

"I'm almost a teenager, Mom! I can go places by myself."

"This is slightly different than Storybrooke and I don't want you to get eaten or anything."

"Eaten?"

"There are wolves and trolls and stuff!" Emma couldn't help but worry about her son and how adventurous and courageous he was.

"Mom, I'll be fine. I'll just go find a room and then we can hang out on our own, okay? We still haven't seen everything there is to see yet and I really want to." Henry grinned at her and then bolted up the stairs.

When Snow and Charming finally came out of their room, Emma was so beyond bored it wasn't even funny – There wasn't much to do here and it was driving her crazy. "So, we'd like to take you and Henry outside. There's much to see." Snow couldn't wait to show them everything.

"There is, but why don't we go eat first? I'm starving!"

Snow giggled. "So am I." She grabbed her husband's hand while Emma called Henry back down, and the family of four went into the kitchen to eat. After they were done with dinner, they set out to finally explore.

They ran into Thomas, a very pregnant Cinderella, and Alexandra about ten minutes into the walk. "Emma, I want you to thank you for getting me out of the deal with Rumpelstiltskin. I'd love to repay you in any way we can."

"You don't have to. It's fine."

"Aunt Mary!" That came from two year old Ally, who adored her mother's friend.

"Hello there, Miss Ally. How are you today?"

"Great." The toddler giggled and clung to her father.

"Ally, you can call her "Aunt Snow" now. Mary isn't her name."

"Okay." Ally just accepted that fact and started babbling at Henry.

"So, how are you feeling, Ella?"

"I'm great – It's so nice to be back. How are you two?"

"We're fine – Just taking Emma and Henry out so they can be amazed." Snow still had a hard time believing she could be happy again without worrying about her evil stepmother or the curse. It was a really nice feeling.

After conversing for ten minutes, the two families separated and went on their own way. "That was so boring."

"Henry!"

"What? It's the truth! I didn't want to talk – I just want to have fun."

"Well, that doesn't mean you should say it." Emma glared at her father when Charming started laughing. Snow playfully slapped her husband's head and the two joined their hands together again. They couldn't get enough of each other because they had been forced apart by so many things – The curse, Regina, Kathryn, and Doctor Whale. But true love always won out in the end, and they would never be separated again.

About two hours into the trip, Henry started complaining about his feet hurting from the long walk and loudly wished cars existed in this world. Emma secretly agreed with her son, but didn't mention that to her parents. They loved this world and didn't want to return to the old world, even when it had things they actually liked.

They were halfway back to Charming and Snow's castle when Emma noticed him – Her first love; the man she thought was gone forever. She had always missed Graham and had tried to move on with other men, but it hadn't worked.

"It really is him, Emma. Go to him." Snow wanted her daughter to have a happy ending, and if it was with the Huntsman, then fine. Graham had been a good person and Huntsman had spared her life – She would always be grateful to him for that.

"But how?"

"Magic. It always does work mysteriously. Now go see him." Charming could see that Emma was worried and conflicted about this, and he didn't think she had to be.

She listened to her parents and slowly walked over to his side. "How are you here? Alive again?"

"Magic, Emma. That's what this is. Something got screwed up with the balance between the two worlds – I'm somehow still alive here, but I can't be out there because Regina killed me while there. She didn't kill me here. And I have my heart back - Don't ask me how."

"I missed you." She hadn't admitted that to anyone but herself, but she had.

"I missed you, too." Graham wasn't going to tell Emma he loved her yet – She probably wasn't ready for that.

Emma launched herself into Graham's arms, and luckily, he caught her. The two began making out and her family averted their eyes. They pulled apart rather quickly, and then walked back hand in hand to Snow, Charming, and Henry. The five of them then made their way back to the castle. By the time they arrived, it was dark outside – They had been gone for most of the day.

Emma and Graham had a lot to work through, but they managed to do it. And they went on to have a healthy and happy relationship.

Emma Swan deserved – and finally got – her own happy ending after thirty years of misery.


End file.
